Mariel Cigarra

Stuart Brown, whose voice you heard just before the break, says there's a lot of research on how animals play and also on how humans play when we're kids.

But there aren't as many studies on play in adult humans, for now at least.

We have learned a lot, though, from watching other social animals.

For example, there's research on rats, who are highly playful creatures.

The researcher prevented them from playing and then after watched them run a maze and also socialize with other rats.

He says the same seems to be true for humans and other social animals.

As you can see, there are a lot of reasons you might want to incorporate more play into your life.

Also, come on, feels good, right?

So let's move on to the how portion of this episode and get back to Whitney Bay, our make-believe Olympic gymnast.

Classic story.

She grew up and she learned from the world that her playfulness was inappropriate.

Whitney studied engineering in college, and when she graduated, she went to work for an engineering firm in Seoul.

Whitney's talking about a concept that psychologists call the inner child.

So takeaway one, figure out your play style by getting in touch with your inner child.

Let's start with a question that Jeff shared.

What were your favorite ways to play as a kid?

Were you super into Legos or erector sets, finger painting, make-believe, catching fireflies, seeing how far you could catapult yourself off the swing set?

For me, it was Barbies.

I love to dress them up in the coolest fashions and also create storylines for them.

They'd be in love triangles filled with passion and betrayal.